Intelligent civil structures-activities in Vermont

Research has been underway in Vermont to investigate the development and implementation of smart civil structures. During the course of this effort, numerous fiber-optic and conventional sensor techniques and designs have been developed and tested. Laboratory studies have led to field testing at numerous sites and types of installations, ranging from residential homes, conventional multistory buildings and pedestrian footbridges to high-performance structures such as interstate highway road surfaces, railway bridges and hydroelectric dams. A description of the efforts in sensor and sensing-system design as well as installation techniques with particular emphasis on the applications of smart civil structures is given.